NEWS

Group pushing pianos for downtown Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A group is expected to ask the City Council on Monday for permission to place pianos outdoors on sidewalks and plazas in downtown Des Moines.

City Sounds co-organizer Larry James said the purpose "is to generate life on the street and generate activity." James says the pianos have been a real boon to business wherever it's been done "because it gets people out on the street."

In Iowa City, for example, pianos have become a staple downtown through the city's Tickle My Keys program.

The pianos in Des Moines would be bolted to the ground and would be covered and locked overnight and during rainstorms. They would be taken indoors during winter.

The program would rely on pianos donated through West Music of Urbandale.